Drying apparatus.



J. T. HOPE,

DRYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY I8. 1'91].

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR [Tm/way Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

J. T. HOPE. DRYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 18. 19]].

1,299,470. Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- [N VE N TOR.

. supporting material in dry-kilns,

of the invention being to sup- UNITED seams? PATENT men JOHN T. IIOPE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN FRANK'HOPE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

' DRYING" APPARATUS.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,- JOHN T. Horn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings, and to. the letters and figures of reference .marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

,My invention relates to drying apparatus and more particularly to a truck or rack for the principal' object port sheets ofmaterial in such spaced relation that'air may circulate therebetween, and to hold the sheetsin a manner them to. contract while seasoning cracking or splitting.

It is also an object of. the invention to without provide suitable supporting standards for carrying spacing. bars upon whichthe sheets are supported and for spaclng the bars in groups to relieve the. sheets of the weight of superimp'osedgroups. o

In accomplishing these and other ob e cts of'the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure I is a perspective view of a drykiln rack containing my improvement, showing a number of fiat sheets in place and illustrating a number of the supporting bars 1n inoperative position.

-Fig. II is an enlarged, detail perspective view of a corner of the rack, particularly illustrating portions of standards and groups of supporting bars in their grouped, spaced relation.

III is' a transverse vertical section of the rack.

Fig. IV is a plan view of the same.

Fig. V is an enlarged, detail perspective view of one of the standardbars, particularly illustrating the pivot pin.

Fig. VI is a similar view of a modified to permit form of bar, particularly adapted for Fig. VIII is a detail perspective view of a standard clamp.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates track rails whichmay be located within a suitable dry-kiln (not shown) and a truck frame 2, comprising longitudinal side bars 3- and transverse end and intermediate bars l, all of the bars being preferably of channel iron construction to provide desired rigidity without excessive weight. The intermediate bars H preferably comprise spaced, paired member's 5-5 for accommodating flanged wheels 6 that ride on the track rails 1, so that the rack may be moved conveniently within the kiln. The truck may be suitably braced by angle irons or other bars 7 and'the corners are preferably strengthened byplat'es 8 that may be riveted, or otherwiserigidly attached to the abutting longitudinal and transverse frame bar's.

10 designates standardswhich rise frdnn one side of the truck and are preferably adjustably connected with the longitudinal frame bar 3 by clamps 11, each constituting a body portion 12 that stands out from the frame bar and comprises upper and lower fingers 13-13, the upper fingers having downturned lips 14' thereon overlying the inner edges of the channeled-bar and 'the lower fingers having corresponding, upturned lips 15. i

To assemble the clamp and standards on the frame, the clamp fingers are arranged over the longitudinal frame bar, the'lower and'thehalves of the clamp and standards connected and held together by bolts 16, to hold the standard "firmly and without lost motion thereto while permitting freelongitudinal movement of the clamp along the bar, thereby adapting the truck for different lengths of veneer or other material to be dried. V

Each of the standards comprises a body 17 and a rack plate 18 on the inner edge of the end of the standard located therebetween' 2l ma be of an suitable size and contour l 7 body, having downset sockets 20 for receiving the pivot pins of material supporting bars 21, presently described, the number of standards employed depending on the length of the rack and the character of material to be dried, a minimum number of standards adapting the rack for use with different lengths of material because of the adjustability of the standards heretofore described.

Each of the standards is adapted for carrying a plurality of the material supporting bars 21, each of which preferably comprises side members 22-22, separated by spacing blocks 23-24 that may be anchored between the side members by rivets, or the like, 25, and an intermediate spacing block 26; all of the spacing blocks being of such width that the inner surfaces of theside members 22-22 are held apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the standards 17 so thatlthe rack bars may be located over the standards and moved vertically therealong I Carried by, and extending through the slotbetween the side membersh2222 of each of the rack bars 21, is a pivot pin 27, arran ed at one side of the longitudinal center of tie bar so that when the bar is supported on the pin the center of gravity will be so located that the bar will tip. While the bars they should be ofsuflicient length to extend practically across the truck and ofrsuflicient depth to space the material carried thereon so that air may circulate freely between the sheets of material, and while the bars are usually plain on their upper and lower edges, it may be desirable, as when the truck is to be used for drying curved pieces, such as barrel staves or the like, to shape the-bars for receiving such material. A rack bar of this character is illustrated in Fig. VI, showing a number of concave seats in its upper and lower edge, within which transversely curved-staves or the like, may seat. J

In order that'the truck may be moved 0011- veniently into or-from-the kiln and over the track rails v1, I provide one of the end cross bars 4: with handles 28, and also preferably provide an operating device 29,-comprising a frame, having hooks 30 at its lower corners for taking into the handles 28, whereby the truck may be pulled orpushed along the track rails. 1 1

lVhile under normal condition the rack bars are supported in stacks on the respective standards, it is desirable, in some cases, to space the bars in groups in order to avoid excess weight on thedrying material. This is accomplished by providing the standards with apertures 82, within which pins 83 may be located to be engaged by the lower edges of superimposed rack bars to retain thebars out of contact with the upper bars in thenext lower groups, and thereby relieve the sheet material at the bottom of the pile of pressure which would otherwise be exerted thereon by the superimposed sheets and which might be suflicient to cause uneven G0ntraction and'cracking or; splitting of the material.

In using the truck, assuming the same to be constructed and assembled as described, and the standards arranged at proper intervals at one side of the truck and with the rack bars on the respective standards supported at the upper ends thereof, when the material is to be located within the kiln the firstsheet, or layer of sheets, is laid on the truck frame and the lower rack. bar ineach set disconf nected from its supporting standard and lowered until its lower edge contacts with the upper surface of the material. f With all of the lower rack bars in this position a succeeding sheet is laid on the top of the alining rack bars and. the next series" of bars located on the top of the second sheet,1

this process being continued until the stack has been built upfand all of the rack bars utilized or until allof the sheets to be dried have been properly located 011 the truck.' lVith the sheets so positioned the truck is moved into the kiln and'the drying process carried on'in the usual manner.

Assuming-that all oft-he rack bars have been utilized, when the drying-has. been" completed the truck is removed from the kiln V and the material removed fron'rthe, truck in the following manner;

The rack bars of the upper series are lifted from contact with the ,top sheet ofthe'stack and slid upwardlyon their standards, until the top sheet'has [been cleared. Therack bars are then moved longitudinally until their pivot pins 27, are located in upper notches 20, in the corresponding standards when the bars are released and the pins being off center, the outer ends of the bars will overbalance the inner. endsand cause the bars to assume the inclined position illustrated in Fig. I, the spacing blocks 26. engaging the rack plates above the pivotal points of the bars to limit the tipping move-. ment of the bars and holding the bars in the elevated and inclined position while the next lower sheet, or series of sheets, is being re moved from the stack. This process is continued until all of the sheets have been rethe rack in position for a the various lengths, so that the ends of abutting sheets will come beneath the vertical planes of the rack bars. In this way when a rack bar is lowered, one of the spaced bars will contact the upper surface of one sheet and its paired bar the upper surface of the abutting sheet, or, if the sheets are of such unequal length that it is impossible to locate the abutting ends beneath the rack bars, the ends may be located between adjacent sets of bars and the bars merely allowed to contact the bodies of the sheets between the ends.

In order to avoid binding sheets of very thin material under the weight of superimposed sheets, and the resultant uneven contraction, it is desirable to relieve the sheets at the bottom of the stack from the Weight of those thereabove. This is accomplished by locating the pins 33 within the apertures 32 in the standards at such vertical intervals that the sheets are arranged in groups of such number that their combined weight will not have the undesirable binding effect on sheets therebeneath that would prevent the under sheets from contracting evenly without cracking or splitting. I

lVhen the rack bars are arranged in groups as described, they are only supported at the standard ends of the bars, the free ends resting on the opposite edges of the material throughout the height of the stack, so that at one edge of the stacks the sheets rest one upon the other throughout the entire height.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with a standard having upwardly opening notches, a slotted rack bar movable vertically and transversely along the standard and having a supporting member at one side of the center of the bar, engageable in the standard notches to support the bar in an inclined plane.

2. In combination with a standard having upwardly opening notches, a lotted rack bar movable vertically and transversely along the standard and having a supporting mem her at one side of the center of the bar, engageable in the standard notches to support the bar in an inclined plane, and means for limiting inclination of the bar.

In combination with a standard comprising a supporting member, a rack bar movable along the standard, having a transverse pin at one side of its longitudinal center adapted for engagement with the supporting member, and a stop on said bar for engaging the standard to limit inclination of the bar.

4. In combination with a standard, a rack bar comprising side members and means for spacing the side members to form a slot of substantially the width of the standard, a pin carried by the side members and projecting through the slot, means on the standard for seating the pin to support the bar, one of the spacing means being located adjacent the pin to engage the standard, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a frame bar, clamp members, each comprising a. body part adapted for movement along one face of the bar, arms at opposite ends of the body movable along the top and bottom of the bar and having inturned lips for slidably anchoring the body members and arms to the bar, a standard having its lower end located between the clamp members, and rack bars slidably mounted on the standard.

6. In a device of the class described, a base frame, notched standards movable along the edges of said frame, rack bars haying center slots through which said standards project, said rack bars being movable longitudinally in one direction to engage the notches in the standards in tilting relation and movable in another direction to disengage from said notched standards.

7. A base frame nOtched standards adjacently secured to the base frame, rack bars having center slots through which the standards project and notch engaging means on the rack bars adapted to engage with and disengage from the notches in the standards, said engagement being effective in permitting tilting of the rack bars with respect to the base and standards.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JOHN T. HOPE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

